How to Have a "French Sunday"

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For many of us, Sundays are used to catch up on errands, chores, and all the things we didn’t finish during the week. It’s a different story in France, where the last day of the week is largely unplanned. The goal isn’t to get things done, it’s to recover from the week and prepare for the next one without pressure.

Recently, this approach has become a lifestyle trend of its own. Everyone seems to be talking about the “French Sunday”. After six years living here in France, I’m explaining exactly how you can put it into practice.

What Is a French Sunday?

A French Sunday is all about letting go of the schedule. There’s no checklist, no errands, no work, no, everything shower, no reset routine perfectly curated in advance. It doesn’t take any planning to pull off. If anything, it’s the opposite. Whatever fills the day gets decided on the spot based on mood.

There’s no glorification of busyness, either. Being constantly busy isn’t part of a normal French lifestyle. If you never have time to slow down and enjoy yourself (especially on a Sunday), it might be a sign that your priorities are out of balance.

It’s a pretty big departure from how most of us treat Sundays in the US, where the day tends to get built around getting things done rather than resting. Even though I live in France, I’m still guilty of this hyper productive mentality sometimes.

Our day-to-day in the US looks different, but thankfully, the French Sunday is a mindset that anyone can adopt.

I’ll also say the concept isn’t totally unique to France either. I saw the same slow Sundays when I lived in Germany and Austria too. But there’s no denying we love to romanticize the French version of it.

The Benefits of a French Sunday

Most of us aren’t built to be “on” all the time. So treating Sunday like a chore list only extends that feeling into the one day meant to break it up. A productivity-driven Sunday, laundry, grocery shopping, meal prep, inbox cleanup, doesn’t actually give your brain a break. It just moves the to-do list to a different day.

This kind of constant busyness is a real contributor to burnout and also feeds the “Sunday scaries”. Instead of feeling rested, you end the weekend already anticipating the week ahead.

A Sunday à la française works differently. It helps you stay present instead of mentally living out Monday before it even arrives. It also gives your nervous system an actual chance to recharge for the upcoming week. Another benefit is that you come back to work with increased energy, sharper focus, and more patience. It’s not just a nicer way to spend a day off, it actually changes how you show up for the week after it.

How to Spend Sunday the French Way

Shop on Saturday

In France, shops are traditionally closed on Sundays. This dates back to a 1906 law that limited the work week to six days, making Sunday the designated rest day for most people. There are, however, plenty of exceptions to this rule, which is why you’ll see small supermarkets, florists, and bakeries often stay open.

Because of this, Sunday isn’t a big shopping day in France like it is in the US. French people typically run errands on Saturday or spread out across the week. And since certain shops are also closed on Mondays, plenty of retail workers will use that day too.

If you want to prepare for a relaxing Sunday, start the day before. Handle your groceries and errands on Saturday or another designated day. That alone takes one major item off the list of things competing for your time. Then treat Sunday as if everything is closed, even if it isn’t.

If you do end up needing to run errands on a Sunday, try to knock them out before noon so you’re not sacrificing the rest of the day. It’s not the norm, but I know some French people who’ll hit a grocery store that’s open on Sunday mornings. Even then, though, you’ll mostly find tourists or people just picking up a few odds and ends (not a full weekly shop).

Don’t forget to bring your market bag too.

Sleep In

There is one French sleeping habit you should know for Sunday. And it’s that there’s no set wake-up time. So let yourself sleep in if you please. The French have a funny expression for this: faire la grasse matinée (or simply la grasse mat), which translates literally to “the fat morning.” I’ve always loved the expression.

It sounds simple, but sleeping in can run against a pretty deep instinct to treat the first free morning of the week as another thing to optimize. The point here is the opposite. If your body wants a few more hours, or you’d rather just lie in bed doing nothing in particular, you can do so, sans guilt or justification.

Have a Slow Breakfast

The French love a long, drawn-out meal, but breakfast on a normal weekday isn’t usually it. Most mornings it’s something quick like a piece of bread with jam and a coffee. Weekends, and Sundays especially, are a different story.

The idea that French people eat croissants and pain au chocolat every morning is mostly a myth. More often, they’re a weekend thing, and Sunday is prime pastry territory. Many people will stop by their favorite boulangerie to pick up fresh bread and pastries to enjoy at home.

To add this into your own morning, stop by a local bakery and pick up a pastry or two. Bring them home, brew yourself a cup of coffee, and actually take the time to enjoy your breakfast rather than rushing through it.

Meeting friends for brunch is also increasingly popular in France, particularly in larger cities. So why not invite a friend for a late breakfast and make a morning of it?

Even if you’re staying home, simply preparing your own breakfast and slowly savoring it can be an easy way to make your Sunday feel a little more French.

Do What You Want Without Overplanning It

There’s no single way to spend a French Sunday. The idea is simply to leave some room for spontaneity and avoid planning out every single hour of the day.

If leaving an entire day unplanned feels unrealistic, start with a two- or three-hour window with no agenda. And try not to fill that time exclusively with chores or productive projects. Of course, these things can be part of a French Sunday, but they shouldn’t take over the day.

I asked some of my French friends and colleagues about their favorite Sunday activities, and here’s what they said:

Reading
Visiting a museum or gallery
Having a picnic
Watching a TV show
Cooking a nice meal
Taking a nap
Painting
Going to the cinema
Walking in the park
Doing a puzzle
Listening to a podcast
Swimming
(No one said working, cleaning, or shopping)

Be a Flâneur

In French, flâner means to wander around without a specific destination in mind. And a flâneur is a person who does exactly that.

On Sundays in France, it’s normal to see people out for a leisurely stroll. They might flâner through a park, a city center, a neighborhood, or even out in nature. Here in Strasbourg, many locals spend their Sundays hiking in the surrounding forests too.

To enjoy your Sunday the French way, get outside and walk with nowhere in particular to go. Take your time and pay attention to your surroundings rather than worrying about getting somewhere. Along the way, you might stop at a café, find a bench to read, listen to music or a podcast, or leave your phone in your pocket and enjoy being outside.

Practice Self-Care

In the US, self-care is often treated as a long, multi-step routine (skincare, extended showers, and so on). Self-care in France is more about pleasure and restoration than achieving specific beauty standards.

That can certainly mean a face mask, a long bath, or taking extra time with your skincare routine. But it can just as easily mean cooking yourself a good meal, taking a long walk, reading a book, sitting at a café, meeting friends for an apéro, or giving yourself permission to do absolutely nothing for a while.

The French approach is less about “fixing” yourself and more about enjoying your life. You don’t necessarily need to turn your Sunday into a wellness retreat or complete a checklist of self-care rituals. Sometimes the most restorative thing you can do is slow down and let yourself be a little unproductive. Whatever self-care looks like to you, make room for it on Sunday.

Spend Time with Family

In France, Sunday is traditionally a day for family. It’s not uncommon for several generations to get together for a long lunch or dinner and catch up on each other’s lives.

When I lived in Brittany with my French boyfriend, we would often have Sunday lunch with his parents and grandfather. It was always followed by dessert, coffee, and, naturally, a 2-hour nap.

You don’t need a big family gathering to bring this tradition into your own Sunday. If you live nearby, invite your family over for lunch or go for a walk together. And if you live far away, even a phone call or FaceTime can be a nice way to reconnect.

Sundays can sometimes feel a little isolating, but making time for the people you love is always a good remedy.